Hunters have initiated many steps in favour of wildlife and biodiversity in general. This publication presents some examples in a series of 27 specific case studies.

The degradation of wildlife habitats, due mostly to intensive agriculture, ecosystem fragmentation, industrial pollution and mass tourism, has received two reactions from society, with important consequences for the hunting world. On the one hand, the necessity to safeguard the incredible natural heritage that surrounds us must be taken into consideration and, on the other hand, reinforced expectation vis-à-vis the hunting world, due to their role as managers of nature. Undeniably, the hunter is the object of a certain amount of public attention, more so than other users of nature.

( La version française de cette publication est également disponible à partir de l'icône 'fr' de la page d'accueil! )

FACE / Birdlife International Agreement on sustainable hunting

Download the 10 point agreement

FACE and BirdLife International signed an Agreement with Environment Commissioner M. WALLSTRÖM as part of the European Commission's Sustainable Hunting Initiative. The signing took place in the presence of key conservation and land use personalities including the Head of Cabinets for the Commissioners of Environment and Agriculture as well as representatives of IUCN, COPA, the European Landowners' Organisation.

The Agreement is the conclusion of a three-way dialogue during the past three years aimed at producing a pragmatic interpretation and application of the 1979 Birds Directive.
A key principle of the Agreement is that BirdLife International and FACE recognise the value of the Directive for maintaining wild birds (including huntable species) and their habitats in a favourable conservation status at the EU level - with application of the Directive being based on the Commission's recently published Interpretative Guide.
The organisations also agreed to work together to promote strategic conservation priorities, such as halting the loss of biodiversity by 2010, the protection of important sites for birds and appropriate reform of the CAP.

The Agreement also strengthens hunting within the NATURA 2000 network and sets out an acceptable timetable for eliminating lead shot use in wetlands.
At the signing ceremony, FACE President, Gilbert de TURCKHEIM, stated that FACE believes that priority must be given to making the Directive work along the lines of the Interpretative Guide.
He recommended strongly that the Guide shall not remain a simple reference document but the Commission must give it a more solid legal foundation. He added that neither organisation has the intention of taking initiatives to amend the Directive text, but in the longer term the organisations do not rule out the possibility of a consolidation of the legal instruments for wildlife conservation.
President de TURCKHEIM concluded that every Agreement is the fruit of compromise, but the advantages for hunting are more important than the disadvantages.
The signing of this Agreement is a powerful symbol of the collaboration between hunters and bird protectionists at the European level.

From the left to the right: Gilbert de TURCHKEIM (FACE President), Margot WALLSTRÖM (Environment Commissioner) ; Michael RANDS (Director & Chief Executive BirdLife International)

On the 23rd November 2004, the Council of Europe's Parliamentary Assembly adopted (unanimously) the Recommendation 1689(2004) on "Hunting and Europe's environmental balance". This official text explicitly recognises the socio-economic and ecological importance of well managed hunting (including hunting tourism) in Europe and formulates a number of concrete proposals for the Committee of Ministers, in particular the drafting of a European Charter on hunting and the harmonisation of the systems of training hunters.
=> Click here to see the official text

L'Assemblée parlementaire du Conseil de l'Europe vient d'adopter sa Recommandation
sur la chasse et l'équilibre environnemental en Europe
Le travail de la FACE récompensé par un texte réaliste et positif !

Le 23 novembre dernier, l'Assemblée parlementaire du Conseil de l'Europe a adopté (à l'unanimité) la Recommandation 1689(2204) sur "La chasse et l'équilibre environnemental en Europe". Ce texte officiel reconnaît explicitement l'importance socio-économique et écologique d'une chasse bien gérée (y compris le tourisme cynégétique) en Europe et fait un certain nombre de propositions concrètes au Comité des Ministres, notamment l'élaboration d'une Charte européenne de la chasse et l'harmonisation des systèmes de formation des chasseurs.
=> Cliquez ici pour consulter le texte officiel

>> Other Recommandations of the Council of Europe on Hunting

•  Recommendation (85)17 on the training of hunters
•  Recommendation (94)7 on a general policy for sustainable and
  environment-friendly tourism development